Based on criteria like commitment to open space, green design, embrace of active outdoor lifestyle, solutions to urban sprawl and traffic, etc. What do you think? Salt Lake City, UT - “nation’s most underrated outdoor meccas” Littleton, NH - “cutting edge model of economic revival overlaid onto a postcard setting” Fort Collins, CO - compared to Boulder, “less traffic and cheaper real estate” Charleston, SC - “subtropical magnet for young creative types, families and the water-obsessed” Davis, CA - “no town gives more leeway to bicycles: 51 miles of bike path and 50 miles of bike lanes” Portland, OR - “unofficial captial of the Pacifc NW ecotopia” Chicago, IL - “no city packs more living into Summer” Madison, WI - “like a girl who aces all her finals, paddles a mean J-stroke, knows how to tap a keg, and doesn’t realize she’s a knockout” Pasadena, CA - “is an experiment in downtown revitalization, smart planning, and life beyond car addiction” Portland, ME - “smaller, cheaper, and somewhat sleepier alternative to Boston”
In my dreams I live in places like that. Then I open my eyes and I’m still living in the same stinking polluted desert from which I was born. Ahhh the smell of dairies and pesticides in the morning.
no Kalamazoo…worthless
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I dunno … I just moved, as in a month ago, from Las Vegas (which certainly did not make the list) to Fort Collins, which did. I’m no authority on all things Fort Collins, but this is a much better place to live than Vegas.
I could write reams on the shitty side of Vegas. And, so far, Fort Collins has been superlative in every way. Except, maybe, truly first class restaraunts, which Vegas had in abundance.
It’s amazing how much outdoor stuff there is to do here, all within a few hours drive. Every weekend, there have been events (tris, running, mtn biking, cycling, whatever) on both Saturday and Sunday.
The article also mentioned the less pretentious side of Fort Collins, when compared with Boulder. This seems true. But make no mistake … there are plenty of white guys with dreads driving Subaru Outbacks and the stink of patchouli oil is prevalent in Old Town.
Small price to pay though. The hippy kids don’t bother me and i don’t bother them.
Thinking of moving?
Salt Lake, for sure. Live in Deer Valley, and you’ve made your own HiLo camp…
Pasadena gets my vote though for where I’d want to be. I love Pasadena.
But where do you go for a beer after a hard ride?
Fort Collins, CO - compared to Boulder, “less traffic and cheaper real estate”
I love FT Collins, lived there for 5 years, would move back if I could. However, the traffic situation is no better than Boulder and last I heard real estate wasn’t so cheap anymore. Maybe they mean the surrounding areas…kj
Thinking of moving?
Only if one of two things happen, either the company moves or I get fired, the latter being more likely. ; ) I’ve been to about half of the places on that list and I would probably put Ft Collins at the top, no lower than second. The SLC area is an amazing place if you like the outdoors. Where I live now (Orange County, CA) is pretty cool, just ridiculously expensive and crowded. I’m still trying to figure out how the heck Pasadena made the list.
They list the median home price at $220,500 and th average commute time as 18.5 mins. The last stats I saw on Boulder put the median home price well over $300k.
I’m still trying to figure out how the heck Pasadena made the list.
Yeah, I was wondering that as well. Isn’t it smog central down there?
-C
Lots of smog. The only thing worse is the traffic on the 134 and 210 freeways.
No doubt Boulder property is expensive. On the traffic thing, 18 minutes is long considering the size of FC. You can bike from one side to the other quicker than drive…kj
I’d have to throw Ashland/Roseburg/Bend Oregon on that list.
But I think they are also including those driving into Boulder or Denver.
Being Pasadena born and raised I can say that the smog is nothing like it was even 10 years ago. The smog control systems on modern cars have made a big difference in the air quality.
The Good:
- The National Forest is in our back yard. Hell Lance spent a good chunk of time riding up there this year.
- Great dining and a thriving “old town”.
- A real feeling of community (rare in L.A.).
The Bad:
- Housing has gone nuts.
- The public schools suck and privates are hard to get into.
- The damn metrolink has cut the town in half.
- The city is allowing uncontrolled development of condos which may change the feeling of community that the city has enjoyed.